Change of Plans
by Hope's Downfall
Summary: Will doesn’t break up with Vince, Leo doesn’t call off his wedding, and Grace faces raising the baby alone. Eventually GraceKaren. [IN PROGRESS]
1. Moving Out

_Will doesn't break up with Vince, Leo doesn't call off his wedding, and Grace faces raising the baby alone. This will eventually be Grace/Karen._

**Change of Plans  
Chapter 1 – Moving Out**

"I already told you, just because I'm moving in with Vince doesn't mean that you can't stay here," Will said as he was packing away all his pots and pans. "I'll even keep paying the rent for you." Grace was resting at the table, watching Will as he boxed things up. "Of course it does. Not only would it be too weird for me to live in this apartment without you, but I don't have any of my own stuff. You do realize that everything in the kitchen is yours, right? You're packing it all as we speak." Will sighed, and abandoned his task for a moment to sit down next to Grace. "Look, I'll leave you some things, if that will keep you here. I just don't want you staying at that hotel until you find a new place." Will took Grace's hands into his own. "I know you, Grace. You won't even start looking for another month. And I definitely won't have you still living in a hotel when the baby comes. You know this is a bad idea."

Grace sighed and she got up, breaking her hands away from Will's. "It might be a bad idea, but I just can't stay here. And I'm not going to be able to find a new place quickly enough to not have to stay at a hotel for awhile. But I swear I'll look right away, Will, I have the baby to think of now too. I'm going to get back to packing up my room, then. My back feels better now." She walked off, clearly annoyed, and left Will sitting alone at the kitchen table, upset at Grace's annoyance, but not at all surprised. He had expected her to get easily angry with him. After all, he'd told her he would help her with the baby, and now he was moving in with Vince to start a life of his own, leaving her by herself. He knew that his offer of monetarily helping with the baby paled in comparison to his previous offer of helping to raise the child, but they both knew that if Will would be happy with Vince, he should go with him. Grace was just having understandable trouble accepting it.

Will still hadn't gotten up yet when he heard the door open. He turned around, expecting to see Vince, but what he saw was Karen. 'Great. Exactly what I need right now…' he thought, but smiled at her as she shut the door. "Honey, what did you want? Rosie gave me your message to come over here. It better be good," Karen said, setting down her bag and taking off her coat. Will got up, smiling again, as he remembered that he had indeed called for her earlier. The smile would hopefully help, as he knew that it would be hard to get Karen to do what he was about to ask her. "I wanted to see if you'd help Grace with her packing. Vince had said he'd help her, but he got called in to work and we don't know when he'll be back. And I wasn't about to waste my breath asking Jack." Not surprisingly, Karen rolled her eyes. "Of course I won't! I have people to do these things for me!" She gave Will one of her 'this-answer-should-have-been-obvious' looks, and got out her cell to start barking orders at Rosario. Only seconds later, she walked through the door and went directly to Grace's room, giving Karen a dirty look along the way. Not exactly what Will had been hoping for, but at least Grace was getting some help.

"Now, why aren't you helping her? You were just sitting there. You better not be using me for my help, Wilma!" Karen said accusingly, pointing a finger at Will and walking over to him. "They've got better things to do than help people move!" Will sighed. "I'm packing up my own stuff. I'd only stopped for a bit to talk to Grace. She stomped off just before you came in." Will hated to explain himself to Karen, but he felt the need to talk about what was going on, and at the moment Karen was his only option. Once he said that, she'd stopped her advance and rolled her eyes. "Are you two fighting _again_? You two really need to knock this off. Mommy and Daddy fighting can't be good for the baby." She shook her head as she took a seat. "I just don't know why she won't stay here until she finds a new place," Will said with a tired tone, choosing to ignore Karen's comment about the baby. "She's insisting on staying at a hotel and gets mad every time I offer to pay for something. I'm doing the best I can." Feeling uncomfortable talking to Karen like this while facing her, he got back up and started on his packing again. Karen followed him with her eyes. "Honey, don't keep going on. I don't really feel like hearing it. But Grace is welcome to stay with me until she finds a place." Will, though momentarily floored by Karen's random act of generosity, quickly broke into a smile. "That is a wonderful idea! She really can't be living at the Holiday Inn. Thank you, Karen." Karen blinked. "Well yeah honey, I already told her she could! She said the exact same thing, I was assuming she was moving in. I've already got a room for her." Will's smile quickly vanished as he realized that Grace's insistence on moving into a hotel had been faked, just to upset him.


	2. A Bad First Night

Thank you for the kind reviews and interest in the story! I will hopefully be adding a new chapter every week at least until it's finished, but if things get busy it might take a little longer, especially if it's not done by the start of the fall semester. I'm still unsure how long it will end up being. So just stay tuned!

Also, I promise to try to get Jack in here somewhere… I love Jack, I'm just really not good at writing him for some reason so I tend to leave him out. He'll at least make an appearance at some point. My apologies to the Jack fans!

**Change of Plans  
Chapter 2 - A Bad First Night**

Will and Grace were now both angry at each other, and stuck to packing in separate rooms. Vince had gotten back and was thoroughly confused, as he didn't know why the two weren't talking and Will refused to tell him. Grace was nearly done. This was mostly due to the fact that, as she had mentioned to Will earlier, most of the stuff in the apartment was his. Plus, Rosario was doing most of the work, and she was much more quick and efficient than the pregnant Grace. The only problem was the bed, and Grace was standing there staring at it as Rosario was hauling boxes to the limo.

"You know, Will asked me before if we could store that at our place for you until you get your own apartment. We still can." Grace turned around to see Vince in the doorway. "Could you really? I just don't know what to do with it… But I'll need it later." Vince nodded. "Of course. Don't even worry about taking it apart. We'll do that. I'll tell Will later, as he doesn't seem to want to discuss you right now." Grace smiled and gave Vince a hug as she walked back into the main room. "Thanks."

Karen watched as Grace exited her room. "Are you done in there? Rosie's already got all your stuff down in the limo and I want to get going. I've been sitting here bored off my ass for a few hours now! The things I do for you people!" Grace nodded. "Yeah, I think it's time for me to leave this apartment for good…" She looked around a bit sadly as Karen got up and put her coat back on. "I'll miss it, but not enough to stay."

* * *

Karen was, against her will, very worried about Grace. She hadn't smiled once since they'd arrived at the manse, in fact she'd barely even moved. What worried Karen the most, however, was that at the mention of food Grace had claimed not to be hungry. It was right then that Karen knew something was seriously wrong. Lately with the baby Grace had been eating for about four, so Karen decided it was time for some intervention.

Grace was sitting in about the same spot she had been since she'd arrived, on the small sofa in her room. It was now nearly 11 o'clock at night, and she was staring at the floor when Karen walked in already dressed for bed, though her mind seemed to be elsewhere. Karen sighed and went to sit next to her, Grace's depressed mood bringing her down too, plus she was tired. But she knew she couldn't leave Grace like that until morning. "Honey, what's wrong? I know there's something, so don't you say nothing. You can talk to me."

To Karen's surprise, there was no argument from Grace. "I just… I don't know what to do." She looked up to meet Karen's eyes. "I'm having a baby, Karen! I'm having a baby, and Will, the one person who I thought would never leave me on my own at a time like this, is leaving me! I know he deserves to be happy, and to be with the man he loves… But he promised! He told me he'd raise this baby with me, and now I have to do it all alone. And I have to find an apartment and finish buying all the things I'll need for the baby. And when the baby comes, I won't be able to work! Where am I going to get money? What am I going to do? I feel so lost. I can't do this by myself! I just can't."

It wasn't long before Grace's face was buried in Karen's shoulder, who was rubbing her back as she cried. "Grace, honey, you can do this. You're a strong girl, and you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to, even after the baby comes." Karen wasn't really one for emotional talk, but Grace knew that she meant every word. She propped herself to meet the other woman's eyes again, tears still welling in her own and staining her cheeks. "Oh no, Karen. I won't stay here. I'm not going to bother you with a baby in the house. I know you don't like children." Karen allowed Grace's misconception to slide as she pulled her back into a hug. "You're going to stay here as long as you need to. I won't have you just moving anywhere just so I don't have to deal with a baby here. It's not like this place isn't big enough that I couldn't go to the other side if I was bothered. Now, I think you need some sleep. Come on, get up and into bed."

Karen got up with her arms still around Grace, hoisting her up as well. There was again no argument as she lead her over to the bed and sat her down on it. Grace's only movement was to wipe her eyes, otherwise she stayed exactly how Karen had put her. "Now, to find where Rosie put away your night clothes…" Karen muttered as she went through the drawers, trying to find some clothes at least somewhat suitable to wear as pajamas. "Ah, here we go," she finally said, pulling out a cotton maternity nightshirt, finding it easy to keep any remarks about the quality of the clothing to herself.

She stood Grace back up, and was allowed to fully undress her from the day's outfit and pull the nightshirt over her head. "There you go, honey," she said, taking Grace's hand and patting it. "Now you get some sleep. I'll have Rosie bring you a nice big breakfast in the morning, and I expect you to eat it. You should at least eat for two like you always used to." She smiled and moved to leave, but to her surprise Grace gripped her hand. "Would you… stay? With me? Just for tonight, I promise. I just… It's dumb. I'm just afraid you'll go away now, too."

Karen said nothing, only nodded and lead Grace over to the bed. One Grace was under the covers, she had to forcefully take her hand from Grace's grip to get up and turn off the overhead light. When she slid back in, Grace wasted no time grabbing the hand back and snuggling up next to Karen, who was a bit scared. She knew she should have run out of compassion a long time ago, and didn't know why she cared so much whether Grace got another place before the baby came or not. But she was tired, so she sighed and decided to think about it more in the morning. She turned her head to give Grace a quick peck on the lips before settling in and closing her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, honey. I promise."


	3. Replacement Will, Replacement Baby?

Sorry, this chapter took longer to write than I thought it would, the week got busy. But, it's finally done! Enjoy!

**Change of Plans****  
Chapter 3: Replacement Will, Replacement Baby?**

Grace woke up to the smell of maple syrup and a feeling of being sunk farther into the bed than when she fell asleep, which told her that Karen was already up and gone. Stretching and opening her eyes, she found Rosario at the end of the bed, arranging a breakfast tray. She scooted herself into a sitting position and sleepily blinked her eyes.

"Oh good, you're up. Miss Karen says you're to eat everything on this tray. She's informed me that you're perfectly capable," Rosario said, picking up the tray and placing it across Grace's lap. She nodded and gave Grace a clear 'and-you-better' look before exiting the room and leaving the redhead alone.

Grace was both shocked and thankful for the sheer amount of food on the tray, which was quite a bit larger than the average breakfast tray. She grabbed a fork and began digging into the scrambled eggs while eyeing the large stack of pancakes. _Save the best for last_, she thought to herself.

After she was finished with the eggs and halfway through her sausages, she began to analyze the previous night. She definitely hadn't wanted to leave the manse before the baby was born, but had already decided that it was what she was going to have to do. She didn't want to bother Karen with a baby around. But her friend had been so insistent that she should stay as long as she needed to, and it was starting to sound like a better and better idea. But when would be the time to leave? How would she ever know? She was afraid of getting too comfortable living with Karen and neglecting her apartment search.

Grace felt safe at the manse, and comforted knowing Karen was in the building if she needed her. She was becoming more and more anxious whenever they were apart, and she was afraid she had become too clingy with Karen ever since Will had announced that he was, in a way, leaving her for Vince. Since that day Grace had gradually felt things changing between herself and Karen, a small pang of need growing into a much larger one, and she found herself wondering if she was beginning to find in Karen a new Will to replace the one she was losing. It wasn't quite the same as her feelings for Will, but it didn't stop her from believing that it was exactly what was happening. She wasn't sure if it was all a good thing or not, but she had a feeling that it was too far developed to be stopped now. She finally began to cut into her anxiously awaited pancakes, but she was frowning.

* * *

Karen had made sure to get up before Grace did, both to assure that a large breakfast was made for her and to avoid immediate discussion about the night before. She was now in her bath tub, sunk into her bubbles and sipping a martini. She had no idea what was going on in Grace's head, and therefore had no idea what to do with herself. She'd been truly happy last night to help out her friend, and had found herself perfectly content with Grace curled up beside her, gripping her hand. She had insisted that Grace should stay with her as long as she needed, even though Grace had been planning on getting out before the baby came. Was she being too clingy? She didn't want Grace to leave, but was it mutual or did Grace want to go?

Karen was also struggling over whether or not to show Grace the forbidden room. On the one hand, she was afraid of how Grace would react. But Karen could always pretend that it was completely new, and she found herself wanting nothing more than for Grace to just live at the manse with her, and for the two of them to raise the baby in that room.

It was that thought that troubled Karen. She'd been feeling more and more attached to Grace since she accepted a temporary room at the manse. She liked the other woman there with her, because she liked knowing that she could see her whenever she wanted. She had felt special when Grace had refused to let go of her hand, refusing to go to sleep without her there. Her feelings for Grace were bordering on romantic, if they weren't already.

But Karen was trying to pull herself away from the feelings and from her friend, because she was afraid that her real love was for the baby, not Grace. She'd been so happy when she thought she was pregnant, and had been crushed ever since she found out that it was a false alarm. After that moment, she knew she'd never have a baby. She knew that her time had come and gone.

But then Grace got pregnant, and then Grace moved in, and Karen found herself loving the unborn child as if it were her own, wanting to care for it and watch it grow into a wonderful human being. Wanting to be the mother that she never had, wanting the child to be the person that she never could be. And this, she decided, must be why she was seemingly falling in love with Grace. While a good explanation, it didn't fit her feelings exactly right. But that didn't stop her from telling herself that it was the truth. So she felt guilty, wanting to just reverse it all. But it was far too late for that. She went to take a sip of her martini, her typical comfort drink. But then she studied the glass, frowned, and set it aside.


	4. A Question Without Words

**Change of Plans****  
Chapter 4: A Question Without Words**

The remainder of the day at Grace Adler Designs was, as expected by both Grace and Karen, slightly awkward. Neither of them wanted to bring up the night before or anything regarding the current status of their relationship, and neither of them noticed the awkwardness of the other. It all went over fairly smoothly, as Karen took her usual long shopping breaks and Grace worked quickly on the last few rooms she had to do before she took her maternity leave.

Grace wasn't putting much thought into her designing, by that point she just wanted to be able to get off her feet and be done with working for a few months. She took advantage of this to think about what was going on with Karen instead, and mull over what she had been refusing to consider the entire time: that she might have actual feelings for Karen.

In certain ways she really was starting to put Karen in charge of areas of her life where Will had previously been: helping to pick out clothes for important events, talking about things she'd never discuss with others, being the shoulder to cry on. However, she wasn't really sure that it was because he wasn't there anymore or if Karen would have taken them over eventually anyway. And the feelings were close to what she felt for Will, but not quite. If she wanted to associate them entirely with Will, she knew that she had to go back quite a few years.

It frightened her, because there were so many reasons why she couldn't fall in love with Karen. First of all, though she knew she shouldn't think that way, Karen was a woman. Grace had always been very open-minded, and a firm believer that people could really fall in love with anyone, but she had never considered that it could be true for herself. Or at least not quite that true. And second, it was Karen. Even once she got past the fact that Karen was female, there was still the fact that Karen was Karen. Even knowing that she could be sweet and really did have feelings deep down, she had high doubts that the woman could ever be that fond of her. And third, she was having a baby. She had to put her child before her romantic life, and even if Karen really could be that fond of her, she couldn't be that fond of a baby.

Despite the many reasons why she couldn't fall in love with Karen, Grace knew that she didn't have much choice in the matter if she was going to. And she decided that she really had to find out if she was going to soon, because she had to figure out what exactly she was going to do about it.

* * *

Karen arrived home that night to find Grace already there, eating dinner. She was glad to see that the redhead was eating again, but had been hoping not to run into her just yet. She was still feeling guilty that maybe she just wanted Grace around because of the baby, and she didn't want that guilt to be picked up. But Grace didn't seem to keen on talking either, and the two of them sat in silence until she was finished. "Goodnight, Karen," Grace said as she got up and headed out of the room, and Karen figured that was the last she'd see of her that night. But she was wrong.

A few hours later, Karen was making her way to her own bedroom to go to sleep, relieved that she had not run into Grace again. But just as she was thinking that thought she opened her bedroom door, revealing Grace sitting on her bed in a nightgown, staring at her. She jumped slightly, but then walked in and shut the door as Grace got up and walked toward her.

"Listen, Karen, I'm sorry about today. I know I've been all avoiding you. I'm just scared, because I'm unsure of something…" Grace bit her lip and looked at the floor for a second, but then looked back up at Karen with resolve. "I don't know how to put this… I… I need to ask you something."

Karen froze. Her immediate thought was that Grace suspected her of only wanting her around for the baby, though later she realized that it was impossible as Grace didn't even think she liked children. But this was what stayed with her, not considering that Grace would be unsure or avoiding her for any other reasons. It was Karen's turn to bite her lip. "Sure, honey… You can ask me anything."

Grace hesitated a moment at Karen's odd display of reluctance, but did not let it stop her from what she was about to do. She took a large step forward, grasped Karen's head in her hands, and kissed her. The two had kissed many times, all memorable in their own ways, but this one was much different. There was real feeling behind it, adding a tenderness and a twinge of uncertainty that had never been there before. Karen was nearly frozen, as she had been expecting a verbal question and not this, though she knew exactly what Grace was asking. The redhead pulled away, grazing her teeth along Karen's bottom lip as she did, and took a step back to bite her own and watch for a reaction.

Karen still stood there, unmoving.


	5. Answers and Fears

Sorry for the cliffhanger ending of the last chapter… Part of this chapter was originally going to go with it, but I wanted to keep all the chapters approximately the same length, so I cut it off. Thank you so much for the kind reviews! There will only be a chapter or two after this one. But if you're enjoying it, no worries! I already have an idea for what I suppose is a sequel, which will definitely include more of Will, Vince, and Jack.

**Change of Plans****  
Chapter 5: Answers and Fears**

Grace had really needed to ask two questions, one to herself and one to Karen. The question to herself was answered well before she pulled away: she definitely had romantic feelings for Karen. But whether or not Karen had any back was quite a different story. And the woman's lack of a reaction for such a long time was worrying her.

Unknown to Grace, Karen was not frozen in shock, but processing what had just happened and what it meant. How stupid had she been? Of course she loved the baby, she hadn't been wrong about that. But the reason she loved the baby so much wasn't just because she wanted a child, but because of her feelings for Grace. When they had kissed, she wasn't thinking about the baby at all. She was only thinking about Grace: how she smelled, how forward she was being, how she could tell exactly what she was feeling just by the exact way she was kissing her.

Finally, Karen broke into a smile. She caught Grace's eyes, and with that one look Grace knew exactly what Karen's answer was. Without talking, the two stepped toward each other and embraced. Karen was oddly comforted by the feel of Grace's pregnant belly pushing against her stomach. It almost felt as if, in a way, it made the baby _theirs_ and not Grace's. But Karen knew that was a topic for another day.

"Oh honey, I'm tired," Karen murmured into Grace's shoulder, "Let's go to sleep." Grace pulled away and nodded. "We probably should," she said, "I think we've both kind of had a long day." She moved to exit the room, but was stopped when Karen grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?" Grace sort of half-shrugged, shyly. "I don't know. Are you sure it's okay if I stay?"

Karen gave her an odd look. "Am I missing something here? Didn't that all mean what I thought it did?" Grace's eyes widened. "Of course it did! I just… I don't know. I don't know how to go about this. For some reason it feels like I've never done it before. But of course I'll stay. I'd rather stay. I felt a lot better last night with you there."

Karen smiled then and turned off the lights, eager to slip into bed and go to sleep. Grace got in right after her, and after a few seconds they were comfortably situated. "Goodnight," they each mumbled, and closed their eyes, but neither fell asleep right away.

Grace was perfectly content lying like that with Karen. It felt right in a way she hadn't felt in a long time, and she didn't feel like she ever wanted to get up. But she wondered how long-lived it would be. Would Karen be able to handle the baby? And if Karen wouldn't accept the baby, Grace knew it would never work. And it was only about a month until her due date… What if Karen left her then? She could hardly imagine it, especially with the new side of Karen she'd seen. But it was a possibility that she forced herself to consider. They would have to have a talk about it, and soon. But she was exhausted, and rather than think about it any more she just wanted to enjoy what she had now and go to sleep. So she snuggled in just a little bit more, placed her hand over her swollen stomach, and drifted off to sleep.

Karen, however, was in no way asleep yet. She was very tired, yes, but she couldn't bring herself to fall asleep before she was sure that Grace was sleeping. She was still unsure of how to bring up the subject of the baby the next day, and she knew that she'd have to. Would Grace freak out to learn that she wanted to help her raise the baby? She was so afraid that she'd get kicked out of Grace's life, and with her the baby's, once Grace found out. But she had no clue why. Nothing Grace had ever done hinted that she'd be angry. In fact, she was so reluctant to have the baby around Karen because she thought she wouldn't like it! Wouldn't it be a relief to learn her true feelings?

Karen tried to brush it off as crazy thinking due to the fact that she already had so much love for Grace and her child. But as much as she tried, the nagging feeling wouldn't go away, leaving her with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She made a bit of a whining sound, feeling alone even though Grace was right beside her. She decided that it was no use to keep thinking about it, as she would only end up upsetting herself more. So she rolled over onto her side, trying to get closer to Grace. She slipped one hand under Grace's, over the baby, as the other slowly inched toward her mouth.


	6. Their Child

**Change of Plans****  
Chapter 6: Their Child**

Grace was the first to wake up in the morning, and she was happy to find Karen still there when she did. The other woman was pressed up against her, still sleeping, and had put her hand under Grace's. Grace smiled, squeezing it and holding it against her stomach, wishing that the act would somehow bond Karen to her baby. And with that thought she groaned, remembering that they'd have to have a talk about the baby, and the sooner the better.

Grace immediately regretted groaning out loud, however, because with it Karen began to stir. She'd been enjoying lying there as Karen was sleeping. But her eyes opened and her thumb was removed from her mouth, and Grace was greeted with a smile. "Morning," she said, "Sorry to wake you."

"No problem at all," Karen said with a grin, "Now I can try to convince you not to leave for work." With that Grace's eyes widened. "Work! I have to go! What time is it? I'm almost done and I just want to finish… Then I'm on maternity leave! Just one more day, I promise. You don't even have to show up." She was scrambling out from under the covers and scouring the room for a clock. "Don't you ever need to know the time?"

"Grace, honey, relax," Karen said, sitting up in bed. "It can't be past ten yet, or Rosie would have come in to wave the salts under my nose! Now come on. Calm down and come back to bed." With a bit of reluctance, Grace sat back down on the bed. "I'm sorry. I just want to finish. I'm so close. It feels like just one more full day, and I want to get it over with as soon as possible. What if I work half a day today, then half a day tomorrow? How does that sound?"

Karen bit her lip. "I don't know, honey. I mean… I think you should do a full day tomorrow and stay here today. There's something we really need to talk about, and I think we might need all day to sort through it." Grace did not miss the fact that Karen's gaze lead directly to her pregnant stomach. A sudden bout of fear overcame her, followed by a slight relief that she hadn't had to bring it up. She sighed and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her. "I know," she said, "There really is something we need to talk about."

Karen was not comforted in the least at Grace's reluctant and uncomfortable-looking posture. Did she really not want to let her into her child's life? "Well, we should just start now, I'm afraid on how this is going to go. I'd prefer to get it over with as soon as possible," she said. In return, Grace was not comforted in the least by Karen's statement. Get what over with, the talk or the relationship? But she did agree that they should just start talking about it right away, and decided to just blurt it out.

"Look, Karen, in about a month I'm going to be having a baby. As much as I care about you, I have to put my child first. If you're not going to be able to accept the baby as a part of my life and attempt to make it a part of yours, then we can't do this," Grace said, having just barely been able to say it without crying. She was now whimpering quietly into the pillow she'd been clutching, giving Karen an imploring look to say something. Karen, for whatever reason, looked floored. This confused Grace. Maybe that wasn't what she'd meant they'd have to talk about? Why would she look so surprised that I want her to accept my child?

But Karen was really surprised that Grace was threatening to leave if she _didn't _accept the baby. As normal as it would seem to others, Karen had been thoroughly convinced that Grace didn't want her to be a part of the baby's life. And now there she was, crying and with only a pillow to comfort her, because she was afraid of Karen not loving the baby! Karen could feel the tears welling up in her own eyes. She knew what she had to do.

"Grace, honey, let's go for a walk," she said, getting up out of the bed and holding her hand out to Grace. Grace, however, only appeared more distraught by the gesture. "Karen, please. Just tell me whether or not you'll accept my child into your life. I can't drag this out any longer." With that, Karen felt the tears that had been threatening to fall do so, and she saw Grace's eyes go from upset to confused. "Please, honey, I need to show you something. I swear I'll answer you when we get there."

Grace then took her hand and got up to follow her, going back and forth between perplexed and annoyed and being just very, very sad. What on Earth did Karen have to cry over? She supposed she'd find out, once they got wherever they were going. And she was interested to find that it was somewhere in the manse. She had originally thought that they were going to head outside. They were both quiet through the entire walk, except for Grace and her sniffling.

Karen soon stopped in front of a door, and took in a deep breath. "Grace, inside here is what I need you to see. Keep in mind that it has been exactly like this for over eight years now. I think… I think it will answer your question, but I will still need to speak." She opened the door slowly, almost not wanting to go inside, and lead Grace in.

Grace's mouth hung open, and the tears in her eyes no longer shone with such sadness as they did before. She scanned the room over and over again, speechless as she was still processing and didn't know what to say. Karen decided she should speak up, her tears coming back once more.

"About eight years ago, I thought I was pregnant. Well, I had this room made right away. I pretended I wasn't, but Gracie, I was so excited. I never told anybody but Jack. But then it turned out I really wasn't. I didn't come back to this room until a few months ago. I couldn't bring myself to do it, it hurt so much. But again, there was Jack. He found it. He's the only one who has ever seen it besides me, and now you. I loved that baby so much, and it never even really existed. When I found out you were pregnant, it made me really happy. It meant that there would be a baby that I might be able to help take care of. Well, then you moved in here, and I was more excited, because if you stayed I could help even more. And then you kissed me, and I knew you loved me, and I knew that I loved you too. And since I love you, I love this baby as much as if it were my own. And I've been hoping that you'd let me. I want us to raise this baby, Grace. I want us to raise it in this room. This was built for my child, and all those years ago I was so upset when I found out it wasn't really coming. But I was wrong. I was assuming that my child would be growing inside me. But no, I am one hundred percent certain that it is growing inside of you. I can feel it so deep down. That's my baby, whether I'm technically its parent or not."

Grace recovered much more quickly from the shock than Karen had expected, though unexpectedly started crying even harder. When Karen had finished her lengthy speech, Grace wasted no time rushing over to her and squeezing her close, her face buried in Karen's shoulder. "Please," she said, the trembling sound muffled by fabric, "Please tell me this isn't a dream. I want this to be our child. I want this to be our child's room. Please, Karen, tell me I'm not dreaming."

Tears were still coming freely from Karen's eyes, but she managed to say with perfect clarity, "Oh honey, you're not."


	7. They're Good Again

_There will only be one more chapter after this one! I hope you enjoy it._

**Change of Plans  
****Chapter 7: They're Good Again**

A few days had passed, and Karen and Grace were getting adjusted to their new life. Grace had finally finished up her last bit of designing, and the two of them had decided to go out shopping for things for the baby.

"I'm so tired of looking at yellow things, Grace. If this baby is anything like you, yellow will definitely not be its color," Karen said, eyeing all the clothing Grace was carrying, most of which was yellow. "Well it's so unisex. If I get pink things and it's a boy, everyone will think he's a girl, and the same with the other way around."

Karen rolled her eyes. "Well I'm paying for all this. We are going to get some stuff in other colors… mostly pinks and purples. I'm thinking it's a girl." It was then Grace's turn to roll her eyes. "Karen, how could you ever know that? …And how sure are you? I'm hoping for my little Lilly." Karen raised an eyebrow, "Lilly, huh? Have you got a name for a boy? And I'm 75 sure. I have my way of knowing how things go when you have sex." Grace laughed, and began exchanging some of the yellow clothes for more girly colors. "That's always been creepy, you know. And yes, Lilly. It was going to be George if it were a boy, but I don't know if Will would be okay with that anymore. I'll have to think of another name."

With the mention of Will, Karen frowned. "You know Grace, you really need to talk to him. This all turned out for the best, didn't it? And I know deep down you're happy for him and Vince. Did you know they're in the process of adopting? Honey, he's your best friend. Forgive him, and before the baby is born. He wants to be there." Grace sighed, and began walking towards the register with her large stack of clothes. "I know I need to talk to him… And how do you know all of this, anyway?" she asked. "I've been talking to him. He called the day after you moved in, wondering how you were. Look, go see him today. He'll be happy. He was pretty angry that you lied to him, but he says he realizes, in a way, why you did it. You two need to make up."

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A few hours later, Grace and Karen were at the door of Will and Vince's new place. Grace was hesitating to knock. "I'm nervous. I forgive him, I do, but I don't want him to be angry with me," she said. "Oh, honey, plus we've got to tell them about us." Grace rolled her eyes. "Not helping, Karen… But I can do this. I can." With that she took a deep breath, raised her fist, and rapped on the door.

"Just a second!" they heard Vince's muffled voice yell, and after some clanking around inside, Vince opened the door. He looked a bit shocked to see them there. "Oh!" he said, "Hi Grace, hello Karen. I'll go get Will for you. Come on in." He gestured for them to walk in and sit on the couch, and they did so, sitting in an awkward silence while Vince went to tell Will that they were there.

"I think I should talk to him alone first," Grace said, squeezing Karen's hand gently. "We'll go into the other room. But we'll come back in here so you and I can tell him about us together. Will you be okay with Vince as company?" Karen made a face indicating that it didn't matter much to her. "I'll be fine honey, don't worry about me."

With that, footsteps could be heard and Will and Vince entered the room. "Grace? I'm surprised you're here," Will said, unsure of why Grace had come and what kind of a mood she was in. Grace gave him a half-smile and got up, walking towards him. "Well, I am. We need to talk things out." She stopped in front of him looking him in the eyes. "Maybe in the other room?" she hinted, pointing to the dining room with one finger. Will nodded, and the two walked into the other room. Vince and Karen were then left alone, and neither was sure what to do about it. "Uh… You want something to drink?" Vince asked sheepishly.

"Will, I'm sorry I got so upset about you moving in with Vince. I know you two love each other, and you deserve to be happy. I was just afraid about raising the baby alone," Grace said after they had gotten safely into the other room. Will sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry I sprung it on you after I'd told you I would help you. But why did you lie to me about going to live in a hotel? I was really worried about that." He already knew the answer, but he needed to hear something about it out of Grace's mouth. "I just wanted to get back at you somehow," she said, "It was stupid, I know, but it made me feel better in a way. I'm sorry about that, too."

Will smiled, and pulled Grace into a hug. "It's okay. Are we good now? Because it's only been a week and yet we still have catching up!" Grace nodded, her chin hitting Will's shoulder as she did so. "We're good now. And yes we do. What's this I hear about adoption?" Will pulled away and grinned, his hands planted firmly on Grace's shoulders. "We found a baby! Vince's sister's friend's sister's baby, actually, which sounds pretty complicated, I know. But she's due in two months and has been looking for a good couple to adopt her child. Ro told her that we were thinking of adopting, and quick as we talked with her, we've got a baby! They think it's a boy." Grace squealed and pulled Will into another hug. "Oh! I'm so happy for you!"

Will thanked her, and they pulled away again. "So, you can't be news-less after a whole week! There's got to be something you can let spill." Grace bit her bottom lip and gave a nervous giggle. "Well, actually there is, but I think we should go into the other room for this one." Will was a bit confused and now very curious, but he agreed to go back into the other room.

Vince and Karen seemed extremely relieved for the two of them to be back. Karen had a martini in her hand, and her and Vince were giving each other awkward looks, not sure what to talk about. Will laughed at the sight, but Grace was too nervous. What if will didn't approve? What if he laughed at that too, thinking she was joking? She swallowed hard, and took a seat next to Karen.

"So, what is it?" Will asked as he sat down in a free chair. Grace sighed, grabbed Karen's hand, and looked Will straight in the eye. "Karen and I are going to raise the baby together." Will still looked confused. "Well, that's nice of you to help her out, Karen…" he said, thinking there must be more to this than just that. "Well," Karen said, "It's not just out of the kindness of my heart… I love Grace." Will was a bit taken aback. "You… love her?" Karen nodded. "And she loves me. And don't you dare laugh or mock it." Will still looked shocked, but managed a smile. "Well, I can't say I ever saw it coming, and I can't say it won't take getting used to… But I'm happy for you, Gracie. And you too, Karen."

Grace let out a long breath as if she'd been holding it in all the time, and gripped Karen's hand harder. "I'm so glad that's over with," she said, "I never want to do that again!" With that, Karen gave Grace a bit of a guilty look. "Well, honey, there's still someone else we need to tell." Grace looked frightened and a bit surprised. "Who?" she demanded.

Karen and Will, simultaneously, said: "Jack."


End file.
